


Borrowed time

by Rosetylars



Series: Cricverse [39]
Category: Cricket RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: M/M, Once again don't want to spoil it with tags i'm sorry, Origin Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:40:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28770969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosetylars/pseuds/Rosetylars
Summary: A sequel toWhen everything was new.
Relationships: Plus mentions of - Relationship, Tim Paine/Steve Smith, Will Pucovski/Cam Green
Series: Cricverse [39]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1755766
Comments: 14
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

Within moments, they were surrounded by teammates. Cam released Will from his arms with a lingering look, and Will took a deep breath. Their moment had been brought to an end too soon, but an understanding passed between them.

They were called into a meeting, and then there was a flurry of activity as everyone packed their equipment away. Will’s locker was beside Tim’s, and Tim realised straight away that Will wouldn’t be able to pack up with his arm in a brace.

“Here, can I help you with some of this?” Tim asked gently.

Will was touched by the thoughtfulness. “If you don’t mind,” he replied. “Feel so useless.”

Tim gripped his good shoulder. “Hey, you’re not useless. Injuries are fucking shit, but this isn’t your fault. The more we can help you, the quicker you’ll be better.”

Will wasn’t sure the medical science behind that checked out, but he appreciated the sentiment. “Kind of is my fault,” he mumbled.

Tim looked at him, frowning. “Mate, the only injury that anyone needed to take blame for was when Mitch punched a wall.”

Will huffed a soft laugh, hoping Pat hadn’t heard that. “Okay, maybe not quite like that. But my shoulder was already acting up. I was gonna get scans regardless,” he grimaced.

Tim sighed, disappointed for him. “I hope it’s okay, Puc,” he said softly, helping him pack up his bags.

***

The scans were uncomfortable, and because he had to go straight from the ground, Will had missed dinner. By the time he was leaving the imaging centre, he was starving.

A CA medical staff member took him back to the hotel, and he had only just gotten back to his room when there was a knock at the door.

His heart raced as the memory of his and Cam’s kiss replayed in his mind. He opened the door, hopeful -

And sighed with relief. Cam was there.

“Hey,” Cam said gently. “Can I come in?”

“Please,” Will agreed, trying to open the door wider, but it was an uncomfortable action with his left arm reaching across his body.

“Here, let me do it,” Cam murmured, widening the door and walking in, kicking his sneakers off by the door. They were several sizes bigger than the pair Will had, beside them. 

Will sat cross legged on his unmade bed, and Cam made himself at home on the other, made, side.

“Were the scans awful?” Cam asked, worry in his eyes.

“Yeah,” Will admitted. “Made everything feel worse ‘cause of all of the poking and rubbing.”

Cam nodded with sympathy. “Did they give you new ice?”

Will nodded. Before he could think, he pulled off his top, showing Cam the elaborate brace he was wearing.

Cam blinked a few times, but Will didn’t notice the slight blush that coloured his cheeks.

“That looks so sore,” Cam murmured, reaching out to touch the ice pack.

After a loaded moment, Will tried to pull his top back on, but it got stuck, and he couldn’t fix it.

“Here,” Cam said gently, smoothing the shirt down for him.

His fingertips brushed Will’s skin, and Will tried not to shiver.

“I hate that you’re hurting,” Cam admitted, meeting Will’s eyes.

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay,” Cam worried.

He was about to say something else, when Will’s stomach gave an aggressive growl.

“Sorry,” Will groaned, embarrassed.

“No, don’t be sorry,” Cam replied. “Wait, you missed dinner, didn’t you? Shit, you must be starving, I’m so sorry-“ Cam got off the bed, urgency in his expression.

Will frowned. “Where are you going?”

“There’s food in the team rec room,” Cam explained, heading to Will’s wardrobe and pulling out a jumper, holding it out for him. “Even if it’s all gone cold, we can heat you something.”

Warmth settled in Will’s stomach at the action. He stood up, and Cam stood beside him, helping him get the jumper over his shoulder brace.

“Thank you,” Will said, for more than just the jumper.

*

When they got to the team room, Tim and Steve were on one of the couches, a mug of something in each of their hands, talking quietly. Steve was curled up in the space of Tim’s side, and he looked exhausted. They had both come under fire in the media, today, and it all seemed to be catching up with them.

Marnus was on the adjacent couch, texting, a soft smile on his face.

Tim looked up as they arrived. “Evening, boys,” he greeted, with a half smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Hey,” Will replied. “Any food left?”

“There’s heaps of leftovers in the big fridge,” Steve replied, gesturing behind himself to the team kitchen in the corner.

Cam headed over, opening the fridge to see what was available. When Will caught up to him, he missed the look Tim and Steve exchanged.

Will said he’d heat some pasta, but Cam fussed, doing it for him, insisting he needed to rest his shoulder.

Cam sat with Will as he ate, and they chatted about nothing. Will had trouble eating with his left hand, but by the time he was finished, Cam had distracted him so much that he’d all but forgotten the pain in his shoulder.

Marnus headed back to his room, after that, taking a call from his wife, and Tim and Steve retired to their room shortly afterwards.

“How bad’s the pain?” Cam asked, once they were alone.

Will tried to shrug, but it hurt. “Not great,” he admitted. “I’m meant to take some more painkillers before bed.”

Cam nodded, sipping from the bottle of kombucha he’d gotten out of the fridge.

Will noticed, and frowned. “Isn’t that stuff just fermented germs?”

Cam pulled a face. “It’s meant to be healthy. Careful, if you try it, you might like it,” he teased.

Will laughed, rolling his eyes. “I’d rather be unhealthy,” he deadpanned.

Cam shook his head fondly, holding the bottle out. “Have a sip, you’ll like it. It’s apple flavoured.”

Will inspected the bottle, frowning. “It has floaties in it,” he protested, a pinched look on his face.

“Oh my god, you are so dramatic, Puc,” Cam laughed. “It’s meant to be like that. Just take a sip.”

Will didn’t like the look of it, but he trusted Cam more. He lifted the bottle to his lips, having a tiny sip.

“Good?”

“Not as bad as I expected,” Will conceded. “Am I healthy now?”

Cam laughed, throwing his head back. “Yeah, mate. The healthiest.”

*

They ended up heading to Cam’s room, deciding to watch a movie. It was approaching 11pm, but neither of them seemed too keen on calling it a night.

They were on the bed, watching on Cam’s laptop. During a slow scene, Will’s eyes started to droop shut. It had been such an emotionally intense day, and everything was hitting him at once - they had gone from certain winners to a draw, Will had injured his shoulder, and they had _kissed_. And now, Will was falling asleep on Cam’s bed.

Will didn’t realise he had shut his eyes until Cam started gently stroking his hair back out of his face, so soothingly. Will couldn’t help the smile that broke onto his face, and he cracked his sleepy eyes open to meet Cam’s in the reflection of the dark laptop screen.

“Good morning, sleepy,” Cam chuckled warmly.

Will rubbed his eyes. “Sorry, I should get out of your hair,” he mumbled.

Cam shrugged. “Stay,” he murmured. Though, as a nervous afterthought, he added, “if you’d like to.”

Will’s heart rate picked up, and he tried to keep calm. “Like a sleepover?”

Cam smiled - a sleepy, warm, soft smile that Will had never seen before, but that he was desperate to see again. And again.

“Yeah, like a sleepover,” Cam chuckled.

Will half considered protesting, but he was so tired that he couldn’t imagine getting up and going to his own room... or sleeping alone, when Cam was right beside him.

“Are you sure?”

Cam nodded, shutting the laptop. “You must be exhausted,” he reasoned.

Will nodded, trying to stretch before he realised his shoulder wasn’t cooperating, huffing with frustration.

The sight broke Cam’s heart, before he realised something. “Puc, your painkillers,” he worried.

Will groaned, dropping his head back to the pillow. “It’s okay, I’ll live without ‘em,” he replied. “Too tired to go get them.”

Cam reached for Will’s shorts, and for one whirlwind moment, Will thought this was going somewhere he hadn’t expected.

But Cam had just reached into Will’s pocket, taking his wallet out. “Can you find your room key? I’ll go grab them, I’ll be back really quick,” he promised.

Will blinked up at him, shocked. “Are you sure?”

“Of course,” Cam replied, as if it were nothing. “Where are they?”

“Aggressively dumped on the end of the bed,” Will admitted with a soft chuckle.

“Okay,” Cam nodded, accepting the keycard and heading to the doorway. “I’ll be back in five. Don’t talk to any strangers,” he teased.

Will’s heart flipped. “I’ll miss ya,” he tried to joke.

Cam’s delighted smile made Will realise that he had meant it.

*

A few minutes later, Cam was back, hands full of more than just Will’s tablets.

“Hope you don’t mind me going through your stuff, but I figured you’d need a charger and your toothbrush,” Cam explained. “Also picked up the clothes on your pillow, ‘cause they look more like sleeping clothes than what you’re in now.”

Will’s heart was about to explode.

“Thank you, Cammy,” he said gently. “That’s really thoughtful.”

Cam ducked his head, blushing slightly with the praise.

“I’m gonna go brush my teeth, do you need a hand getting changed?” Cam asked.

Will pulled his jumper and shirt off without too much trouble, but he couldn’t get his sleep t-shirt on, over his brace.

“Here,” Cam said gently, taking a few steps closer so he could pull the t-shirt down, like he had a few hours earlier.

“Thank you,” Will murmured.

Cam waved a hand through the air and headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth. When he returned to Will, he had a glass of water in one hand, two painkillers in the other.

“Hopefully they help you sleep,” Cam said gently.

Will melted. Cam had been so thoughtful, all evening.

When they were both finally ready for bed, phones off, Will’s heart started to race. He hadn’t gotten under the covers yet - that seemed like a whole new kettle of fish.

Cam plugged his phone in, had a drink of water, and pulled the covers back, settling in. When he noticed Will was still sitting on top of the covers, he tugged at them playfully.

“I know you Victorians are strange, but do you really sleep on top of the blankets?” Cam teased.

Will laughed, rolling his eyes fondly. “No, I was just waiting for you,” he replied.

Cam smiled, patting the sheets beside him, encouraging Will to get in. Will shifted to get under the covers, and Cam flicked the lamp off.

They were in bed. Together. After they had kissed, six hours before.

Will’s heart and mind were both racing… until Cam turned over, onto his front, and slung a warm arm over Will’s midsection.

“Night, Puc. Wake me up if the pain keeps you up, yeah?”

“Okay,” Will agreed, struggling to believe this was really happening. “Thank you. For everything, today.”

“Just want you to feel okay again,” Cam mumbled, words muffled by his pillow.

Will reached out and smoothed Cam’s hair back. “Thank you,” he whispered. “Goodnight, Cammy. Tomorrow will be better.”

***

Will had to head to the team physio office first thing in the morning. As he got out of bed, he pulled the covers up to cover Cam - they had migrated down to his waist, but it had gotten cooler overnight. As Will kicked his shoes on, Cam blinked awake.

“Puc? Where're you going?” His morning voice was so raw and innocent, and Will just wanted to crawl back into bed and stay with him all morning.

“Have to see the physio before breakfast,” Will explained.

Cam pouted. “Okay. Hope it goes okay, and they don’t hurt you,” he replied.

Will melted. “Thanks, Cammy. Go back to sleep. I’ll see you soon.”

Will’s heart hurt as he walked into the team hallway, wanting more than anything, right now, to be back in that warm bed.

He was two doors away from the physio, grateful to get there without incident, when Tim came out of his own door.

“Hey, Puc,” Tim said, still looking sleepy. He was wearing Steve’s old hoodie, again, and the sight made Will’s heart twist in a way it hadn’t, before. “Why are you up so early?”

“Physio,” Will gestured to the door behind him. “How about you?”

Tim grimaced, scratching at his stubble. “Gonna call a presser,” he admitted. “Embarrassed myself yesterday. Need to apologise.”

Will grimaced, but he respected the urgency in Tim’s actions. “You’re a good man, Timmy.”

Tim gave him a tired half smile. “Thanks, mate. I came to look for you before bed, last night, but you didn’t answer. Were you in the shower or something?”

Will’s face heated up immediately. “Uh… no, I was with Cam,” he admitted, not meeting Tim’s eyes.

Tim raised his eyebrows, suddenly intrigued. “Puc, are you two a thing?”

“What?!”

Tim shrugged. “You’ve been joined at the hip for two weeks,” he pointed out. “And he wasn’t himself after you got hurt, yesterday.”

Will stumbled for words. “I- we-“

Tim could see he was struggling, so he let him off the hook, clapping Will’s good shoulder. “It’s okay, mate. Get your physio done, we can have a proper talk after,” he suggested.

Will nodded, grateful, and Tim continued down the hall.

*

Pat had saved Cam a seat at breakfast - now that the Test was over, Pat wanted to ask the question that had been on his mind for days.

Except, Cam and Will walked in together, chatting quietly. Pat half felt bad for splitting them up, but Tim had saved Will a seat across the room, too.

When the younger boys realised what was going on, they exchanged a look.

“Go, we’ll talk after,” Cam said gently.

Will nodded, and they headed to the seats saved for them.

Cam settled in across from Pat, giving him a smile.

The dining hall was set up to keep the boys spread out - Cam and Pat were on a table for two, and there was a bit of room left for a thoroughfare, next to them, so they had some relative privacy.

“Sleep well, mate?” Pat asked, rotating his wedding band absently - Cam wondered if he knew he was doing it.

Cam tried not to blush as he remembered the feeling of a warm body beside his, in bed. “Yeah,” he choked out, voice embarrassingly breaking on him. He coughed to try and hide it. “Yeah, I did.”

If Pat noticed, he didn’t say anything, though a soft smile played at his lips. “Good,” he replied. “Actually, there’s something I’ve wanted to ask you for a few days.”

Cam swallowed, nodding.

“Feel free to tell me to mind my own business,” Pat warned. “But… you and Will…?”

Cam blinked - he had half expected the question, but he still wasn’t prepared to hear it.

Pat hadn’t finished his question, but he hadn’t needed to. Cam looked around to make sure nobody else could hear them, but Marnus had put a Queensland Bulls beanie on JL’s head, causing an uproar from the West Australian coach.

He looked back at Pat. “I… promise not to tell?”

Pat nodded solemnly.

“I really care about him,” Cam admitted. It was the first time he had uttered the words aloud, and it felt monumental.

So why didn’t Pat react strongly?

Pat just smiled, squeezing Cam’s arm. “That much is obvious, mate,” he replied, not catching Cam’s meaning.

“No,” Cam said. “I _really_ care about him.”

The words sunk in, the second time. “Oh,” Pat raised his eyebrows. “Like… romantically?”

Cam hushed him urgently. “Keep it down!” He urged.

“Sorry,” Pat chuckled.

“Shit, I don’t know. I don’t have a name for it. I’ve never felt like this around a teammate, before,” Cam admitted softly.

“That’s so sweet, mate,” Pat said gently. He then floundered for words, thinking back to almost a decade ago, when he had fallen for a teammate of his own. “Do you… want to kiss him?”

Cam looked at his hands, on the table in front of him. The hand that had grasped Will’s cheek, yesterday, as he had leant in…

“Already did,” Cam admitted quietly, finally meeting Pat’s eyes again.

Pat gasped. “What?!”

Cam hushed him again, nervously looking to the other tables - but they were still laughing at Marnus and JL’s bickering.

“Yeah. Yesterday. He was hurting and I just… I had to kiss him,” Cam admitted.

Pat melted. “That’s beautiful, mate. So you like each other?”

Cam pulled a face. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean, you don’t know? You kissed,” Pat pointed out, confused.

Cam shrugged. “It was an in-the-moment type thing.”

“But you’ve spoken to him since?”

“Yeah, obviously,” Cam replied, chuckling at the concept of spending an entire evening apart. “We spent last night together.”

“Like… in bed…?” Pat looked at Cam blankly.

“Well, yeah, technically,” Cam replied.

“You… slept together?”

“We shared a bed. Nothing like what you’re thinking. We haven’t talked about the kiss,” Cam explained.

Pat reached under his glasses to rub his eyes. “Mate, I don’t know what to say,” he mumbled. “This sounds a lot like two boys who like each other, to me.”

Cam shrugged, non-committal. “I don’t know,” he mumbled. “I like how I feel when I’m around him. I want to make him happy,” he admitted gently.

Pat melted, squeezing Cam’s forearm. “That’s beautiful, Cam,” he replied, with a soft smile. “So cute.”

Cam wrinkled his nose. “It’s not cute. We’re good mates,” he protested.

Pat nodded, faking solemnness. “Sure, mate. Mates who kiss. Do you want to kiss me?”

Cam baulked. “What?! You’re married!”

“But we’re _mates_ ,” Pat emphasised. “That’s the whole point. You don’t normally kiss your mates.”

Cam didn’t have the brainpower to consider a statement that big, this early in the morning. Luckily, he was distracted out of that thought by the sight of Will getting up from his chair, across the room, heading to the drinks fridge and getting out a big bottle of orange juice.

Pat cleared his throat pointedly, and Cam’s eyes snapped back to his older friend as he blushed.

“Anyway, I’m happy for you,” Pat affirmed. “If you want to talk about it, ever, I’m here. Obviously no judgement,” he added, pointing to his wedding ring, as if anyone could ever forget he was married to Mitch.

“Thank you,” Cam said genuinely.

At that, though, Will headed in their direction, and Cam lit up with a smile as their eyes met.

“Orange juice?” Will offered, holding out one of the two glasses he was holding.

Cam’s heart warmed. “Thanks, Puc,” he smiled.

Will gave him a warm grin before heading back to his own table, looking back over his shoulder at Cam as he went.

Maybe Cam was in a little deeper than he thought.

***

After breakfast, there was a flurry of packing and preparing before their flight to Brisbane. By the time they had landed, gone through a million border protocols and arrived at the hotel, they were all exhausted. Cam insisted on dragging Will’s suitcase for him, and a few of the boys divided Will’s luggage between them so that Will didn’t have to carry anything on his bad shoulder. He felt a bit embarrassed by the attention, but nobody would have a bar of it.

When Will got to his room, he had only just dug his charger out of his bag, about to plug in his phone, when it vibrated with a text.

 **CG:** Wish we could go out

 **CG:** My turn to buy dinner 👿

Will smiled, heart warming at the messages on his screen.

 **Will:** I told you last time was my pleasure

 **Will:** But it would’ve been nice to take you out again

Three dots appeared immediately.

 **CG:** Ugh you suck

 **CG:** But thank you 💙💙

Will just smiled, feeling like an idiot. A few texts shouldn’t be able to make him this stupidly happy.

Without thinking, he sent back a kiss emoji before getting back to his unpacking.

That lasted about fifteen minutes. Before he could think about what he was doing, he had unplugged his phone, put it in his pocket, and headed out of the room, down the hall to the room he had seen Cam going into before.

He knocked on the door, and Cam opened it with a grin.

“Long time, no see,” Cam joked, opening the door widely to let Will in.

Will grinned, feeling at home already as he kicked off his shoes and sat cross legged on the bed. Cam’s suitcase was unzipped on the bed, and all of his clothes had been shoved in, rumpled.

“Maybe it’s a good thing we can’t leave the hotel, ‘cause those clothes are in no state to be worn out,” Will teased, tongue between his teeth.

Cam pushed lightly at Will’s chest. “Bully. They’re fine.”

Will pulled a surf t-shirt out of the case - it was so crinkled that the motif on the front could barely be read. “This is not fine.”

Cam rolled his eyes, taking the t-shirt from Will’s hands, their hands brushing as he did. “I’d wear this.”

“You’d have to iron it, surely,” Will scoffed.

Cam gave Will a look. “I’m not great on the old iron, I must admit,” Cam scratched the back of his head. “Maybe it’s a good thing we’re just staying in.”

Will chuckled. “That’s amazing. You’re so _young_.”

“Not much younger than you,” Cam protested, chucking the t-shirt back in the case and perching beside Will on the bed.

“I’ll be twenty three soon. And you’ll still be a cute P-plater.”

Cam rolled his eyes, trying to fight a blush. “Not for long,” he reasoned.

Will chuckled, reaching out with his good arm to push Cam’s hair back, out of his face.

“How was your shoulder after the flight?” Cam asked.

Will scrunched his nose. “Stiff as. Felt like shit. Still kinda does,” he admitted. “Harry let me have the window for the arm rest, which helped a bit.”

Cam nodded, disappointed. “Have you taken your tablets?”

“Yeah, before the flight,” Will replied. “Can’t take more ’til dinner.”

Cam sighed. “I hate that you’re hurting, Puc,” he murmured.

A silence passed between them - they were both thinking the same thing, but neither of them wanted to bring it up.

Cam bit the bullet. “What are your chances for Friday?” He asked quietly, afraid of the answer.

Will sighed, looking at Cam’s messy suitcase so he didn’t see the hurt on Cam’s pretty face.

“Slim,” Will admitted, voice low. “But not zero.”

Cam, ever the optimist, gave Will such a hopeful look that Will almost broke, right then.

“There’s a chance?”

“There’s a chance,” Will agreed. “But not a big one.”

Cam nodded, seemingly pleased with the sliver of hope on offer. “I want it so badly, for you,” he admitted softly.

Will melted, and he couldn’t take it any more. “Come here,” he said gently, opening his good arm, shifting sideways on the bed, trying to manoeuvre his legs around the suitcase to make some room for Cam.

Cam smiled, shifting so his back was against the headboard, carefully pulling Will to lay down against him. Feeling bold, Cam pressed a kiss into Will’s hair.

Will smiled, closing his eyes, appreciating the warm comfort of Cam’s body, pressed up behind his own. Cam’s arm was right by Will’s side, and Will took his hand, playing with his fingers. Cam made a pleased noise, resting his chin on top of Will’s head.

Comfortable, Will closed his eyes.

He didn’t realise he had fallen asleep until he woke up again, releasing with a jolt that it was already dark outside.

He was about to speak, until Cam gave a soft, barely-there snore. It was the most adorable noise Will had heard in his life, and in that moment, he decided he didn’t care what time it was. He wanted to live in this moment just a little longer - not worrying about his shoulder; only about whether Cam would be able to sleep tonight, if he was still asleep now.

If he thought about it too long, he may have talked himself into thinking he was taking advantage - but he cleared his mind, and let himself properly take Cam’s hand, just for a moment. It was both of their left hands, so it was a bit awkward, but he interlaced their fingers.

And Cam’s hand tightened ever so slightly around Will’s. His hand was so much bigger than Will’s, and for the first time in Will’s life, he loved feeling small.

He soaked in the moment for as long as he could, not wanting it to end.

Eventually, maybe five or ten minutes later - Will didn’t know, he couldn’t check his watch without disturbing Cam - Cam started to stir, and he wrapped both of his arms around Will’s middle.

“Are you awake?” Cam asked sleepily.

Will chuckled, patting Cam’s arm fondly. “Yep. I was gonna wake ya, but you were snoring, and I thought it was nice you were finally quiet,” Will teased.

Cam poked his ribs. “Not funny, William,” he chuckled. “Bully.”

“You love it.”

“Maybe.”

A moment passed between them, before Cam gasped. “Shit, is it dark outside?”

“Yeah,” Will exhaled. “But they’re an hour behind Sydney, here, and the sun sets a heap earlier too. It’s probably only, like, seven.”

Cam nodded. “We should go see what the food situation is like.”

“We should,” Will agreed, though instead of getting up, he shifted between Cam’s legs so he was sitting, facing him.

And then they were looking at each other, face to face, and Will broke first.

He gripped either side of Cam’s jaw, all soft skin and sparse whiskers, and kissed him.

Cam melted into the kiss, lifting Will up a fraction with hands under his hips, pulling Will into his lap, knees either side of Cam’s hips.

With the new angle, Will felt more daring. He darted his tongue out, pressing it lightly against the seam of Cam’s lips, and Cam parted them, allowing their tongues to meet for the very first time.

Cam’s hand came up to tangle in Will’s sleep-rumpled hair, running through blonde curls as their tongues gently slid against one another, and it was _everything_.

They kissed until their jaws ached, and they were both breathless. When they pulled apart for air, Will pressed his forehead against Cam’s, grinning.

“What the hell did we just do?” Cam mumbled, lost in bliss.

Will huffed a soft laugh, pressing his lips to Cam’s in a chaste kiss. “I dunno. But I wanna do it again,” he admitted.

Cam grinned, leaning up to kiss Will again, deeply, savouring every drawn out moment.

Eventually, they separated, and Cam’s eyes were _dark_. He held a lock of Will’s hair between his fingers, tracing the shape of it with his fingertips.

“We should probably go,” Will said reluctantly.

“We should,” Cam agreed, sighing. “They probably think we’re getting freaky.”

Will hadn’t expected the words, and he laughed heartily, throwing his head back. “What the fuck?”

Cam shrugged. “We’ve missed a few team meals,” he reasoned.

Will chuckled, shaking his head fondly, but his expression turned thoughtful before he spoke again. “I wanna stay here. With you.”

Cam didn’t know whether he meant right now, or in the near future. He didn’t want to think about it.

Instead, he pecked Will’s lips once more, patting his hip gently.

“We can come back after dinner,” Cam suggested, almost shyly.

He shouldn’t have worried. Will beamed. “I’d like that.”

*

Because the boys were confined to their floor of the hotel for biosecurity reasons, the team common area was still quite busy.

Pat raised his eyebrows as the boys walked in together, but thankfully, he didn’t say anything incriminating.

Tim and Steve were playing table tennis against Marnus - Steve, more gifted with tennis skills, was standing pressed up against Tim’s back, his chin over his fiancé’s shoulder, moving Tim’s hand with his own.

“It’s like _Ghost_ ,” Gaz declared, looking at Tim and Steve.

“What’s Ghost?” Cam asked.

Will was equally confused, beside him.

“God, they’re getting too young,” Gaz whined.

Cam and Will exchanged a look, shrugging, heading towards the food.

As they ate, Pat came over to show the boys some photos Bec had sent of their new baby boy - Mitch’s nephew.

“Patty, enough with the photos,” Josh said, from across the room, where he was eating an ice block.

“He’s cute and all, mate, but he looks like every other baby I’ve ever seen,” Travis agreed.

Pat took that personally. “He looks just like Austin, when he was born,” Pat protested. “And these boys hadn’t seen him yet.” He continued flicking through the photos, with the screen facing the younger pair.

On about the twentieth photo, Pat’s screen changed to a candid picture of Mitch, on their wedding day. It was his contact photo - a call was coming through.

“Sorry, boys,” Pat said, leaving the room as he answered it.

“He’s obsessed,” Cam smiled, having a bite of his now lukewarm dinner.

Will chuckled. “It’s sweet.”

There was a loud protest from the table tennis table - Marnus accused Tim of cheating, and he was bickering with Steve.

Cam and Will exchanged an amused look. This team was ridiculous.

*

The boys ended up heading to Will’s room, after dinner - Cam brought his laptop to resume the movie they had fallen asleep during, and with it, he was carrying his computer and phone charger.

Will’s heart raced at the idea he might stay over.

“Here, get comfy, it’s late,” Will said gently, untucking the covers of the made bed.

Cam smiled, reaching for the neck of his polo. “Do you mind? This collar is getting annoying.”

Will’s mouth went dry. “Go ahead,” he replied, trying to act calm.

Cam pulled his CA polo off, and Will nearly fainted. Cam was so beautiful. He had worked hard for the lean muscle definition on show, and Will found it very hard to look away.

“Do you want some softer shorts to put on?” Will asked, swallowing.

“That would be amazing,” Cam agreed.

Will got some shorts out for him - navy Cricket Victoria shorts, for a laugh - and Cam headed to the bathroom to put them on.

Will took the opportunity to get changed into sleep clothes, himself, but when Cam emerged from the bathroom, he laughed so hard he almost dislocated his shoulder again.

The shorts were _tiny_ on Cam. They were shorter than thigh-length, on Will, so they were practically footy shorts on Cam. And Will was not complaining. At all.

“You did this on purpose,” Cam teased, grinning. He dove onto the bed, careful not to jostle Will’s shoulder as he tackled him down to the mattress with arms around Will’s waist.

“I would never,” Will lied, grinning up at Cam.

Cam was almost on top of him, and Will didn’t hesitate. He reached up, laced a hand through Cam’s hair, and guided his head down, meeting his lips in a kiss.

Cam hummed appreciatively, balancing his weight on one hand so that he could cup Will’s jaw and kiss him more deeply. Their kiss tasted of the vanilla ice cream they had shared after dinner, and Will wanted to stay here forever - under Cam, on a clean hotel bed. Just the two of them, lost in each other.

“Does this hurt your shoulder?” Cam asked, when they separated to catch their breath.

Will pulled a face, making grabby hands at Cam to encourage him to cover Will’s chest with his own, again.

“I don’t want my shoulder to be our third wheel,” Will protested.

Cam laughed softly, but he wouldn’t kiss Will again until he got a proper answer.

“It’s okay,” Will assured. “I promise.”

That was enough for Cam. He leant down to kiss Will, again, rubbing his thumb along Will’s stubbled cheekbone.

Will smiled against his lips, running his fingers through the shorter hair at the nape of Cam’s neck.

They made out like teenagers. At some point, Cam’s hand made its way into Will’s hair.

By the time Cam sat back on his heels, taking his weight off of Will, Will’s eyes were so dark Cam could barely see the blue around them.

“You look like a picture, right now,” Cam murmured.

Will reached for Cam’s hand with his left, interlacing their fingers. “Think you put knots in my hair,” he teased.

“Sorry,” Cam said, without much apology in the words. “Guess I’ll have to smooth them all out.”

“That’d put me to sleep, again,” Will mused.

Cam shrugged. “It is bed time,” he pointed out.

“Are you putting me to _bed_ , Cameron?”

Cam smiled at the way his name sounded from Will’s lips. “I am. You’ve had a big few days.”

Will poked his tongue out, but his heart was warm at the consideration.

They both got up to brush their teeth, which took longer than necessary, because Will kept tickling Cam’s bare ribs, trying to make him laugh.

It worked.

When they were finally ready for bed, Cam realised they hadn’t even gotten around to their movie.

Will shrugged, organising the ridiculous number of extra pillows that were on the bed. “All good. There’s always tomorrow night,” he replied.

The uncomfortable thought that Will might have been ruled out of the next Test, by then, made Cam shiver. He pushed it aside.

“Are you suggesting another sleepover, Puc?”

“What’s this, then?” Will teased, pointing between them.

Cam chuckled, kissing the cheeky smile off Will’s face.

Will pulled the covers back, and Cam was the first in. He sat in the middle of the bed, leaning against the headboard, encouraging Will to sit between his legs.

Will looked at him skeptically.

“I promised to untangle the mess I made of your hair,” Cam explained with a soft smile.

Will melted, doing as he was told. Within moments of getting Cam’s hands in his hair, he relaxed back against him.

“I like you like this,” Cam murmured, working intently at the lightly tangled curls.

“Like what?”

Cam shrugged, and Will felt it against his back. “Soft. In my arms.” The words were shy, almost like he was embarrassed to admit them, and that’s what made them even more endearing.

Will couldn’t help himself. He turned his head to look over his good shoulder, invitingly, hoping Cam would get the hint - and he did. Cam kissed Will, deeply, over his shoulder, and it was the most incredible feeling.

Will gave a shy laugh when they eventually parted, laying his head back against Cam’s bare chest.

“You’re pretty, Will,” Cam murmured, running his fingers back through Will’s hair, getting back to untangling.

Will’s heart skipped, unsure whether Cam had really just said that. “Me?”

“Nah, I actually meant the other Will, over there,” Cam deadpanned, pointing past Will and into the empty corner of the room.

Will laughed warmly, playfully swatting at Cam’s arm. “You’re mean.”

“Nah. That’s you,” Cam protested, successfully separating some more curls.

There was a comfortable silence, after that, while Cam’s fingers worked through Will’s hair. Will closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation.

He didn’t realise he had fallen asleep until he woke up, a short time later. Cam was no longer directly behind him - now, somehow, Will was curled into Cam's side, his head resting on Cam’s bare chest. The lights were all off.

Will must have woken with a jolt, because Cam knew he was awake immediately.

“You sleep like a kitten, Puc,” Cam commented, and Will could hear the smile in his voice.

“How long was I out?” Will asked sleepily.

“Not long. But long enough for me to move ya,” Cam chuckled.

Will groaned with embarrassment at himself. “Sorry, Cammy. Gotta stop sleeping on top of you.”

Cam huffed a soft laugh, shaking his head in the dark. “Nah. It’s cute,” he assured. “Plus, now I know my magic fingers are all it takes.”

Cam realised the mistake of his words half a millisecond after they left his lips. He squeezed his lips shut, embarrassed.

Will was speechless, eyes wide. “Um…”

“Fucking hell, I never said that. Rewind. Roll that back.”

Now that Will had processed the words, and realised how embarrassed Cam was… he laughed.

“It’s not funny! I didn’t mean it like that,” Cam whined, grimacing.

Will couldn’t stop laughing. “That’s the best part. The _magic fingers_ ,” he repeated, trying to keep a straight face… and failing, miserably.

Cam put his hand over Will’s mouth, trying to quiet him. “Stop, I can’t,” Cam whined, huffing sob-like laughs.

Will licked his hand to make him remove it. “You’re never living that down, CG. I promise you.”

“I hate you.”

“You really don’t,” Will grinned, lifting himself with a hand on Cam’s chest so that he could lean up and kiss him.

“Mm,” Cam hummed, against Will’s lips. “Maybe I don’t.”

As they finally fell asleep, after a ridiculous number of sleepy, drawn out kisses, neither of them realised that they were running on borrowed time.


	2. Chapter 2

Will woke up with a stiff shoulder and a warm heart. In his sleep, he had curled even further into Cam’s side, waking up pressed up against him. Cam’s left arm was under Will, hand on his waist, securing him, and Will knew it’d probably be numb by now. He smiled at the absurdity of the situation - he was cuddling his _teammate._ He had _slept in his arms._

The sun was already beaming through gaps in the curtains, because the sun rose so early, in southern-coastal Queensland. Will shifted, trying to take some pressure off his bad shoulder, and Cam blinked awake.

He looked at Will and smiled sleepily.

“Hi,” Cam mumbled.

“Hi,” Will replied. “Sorry, did I wake you?”

“Nah,” Cam lied, smiling. “Feel like I’m still dreaming.”

Will melted, leaning up to press a chaste kiss to Cam’s lips. “That’s cute, Cammy.”

“You’re cute,” Cam returned, pecking him a few more times. “I realised that I forgot to text Patty last night,” he mused.

Will hummed. “Hope Mitch is okay. But we were busy,” he reasoned.

Cam chuckled, running a hand through Will’s hair. “Mm. Busy kissing.”

“ _Very_ good use of time,” Will declared.

After a few more kisses, they decided to get ready for the day, which would begin with their team breakfast.

Cam had to head back to his own room for a quick shower - but not without a lot of pouting from Will.

“You don’t smell,” Will declared. “Just stay and cuddle.”

Cam chuckled, unplugging his phone, and pulling his polo from yesterday back on.

(Will realised, with a jolt, that he was leaving his charger plugged in by Will’s bed.)

“I wish. My skin feels oily,” Cam replied, screwing up his nose.

Will poked his tongue out, at that, displeased. “Gonna miss ya.”

Cam smiled warmly. “I’ll only be gone for ten minutes, I promise.”

“Okay,” Will replied, still pouting. “See you at breakfast.”

Cam blew a kiss over his shoulder as he left.

*

At breakfast, a short while later, Cam and Will sat at a table for two beside Josh and Patty.

Pat was poking glumly at his bowl of granola, barely eating anything.

Josh knocked Pat’s foot under the table. “Hey, he’ll be alright. You need to eat something, we have a big training day today,” he said gently.

Cam and Will exchanged an uncomfortable look.

“He’s not okay,” Pat mumbled, poking a raspberry with his fork and eating it.

Cam looked across the tables at Pat. “Has Mitch had scans?”

Pat shook his head. “He’s going this afternoon,” he replied. “But he didn’t get to sleep ‘til late, cause he’s so frustrated.”

Cam sighed. “I’m sorry,” he said gently.

Pat gave him a half smile, but he was still dejected. “I’m hurting for him,” he admitted. “He’s only been back bowling for a few weeks, now this.”

Will grimaced, and Josh sighed, nudging Pat’s smoothie towards him.

“Mitch wouldn’t want his husband to die of starvation, though, would he?” Josh asked.

Cam chuckled, at that, and Pat considered his bowl again.

“Fine,” Pat agreed, eating a mouthful.

Will turned his attention back to the beautiful all rounder in front of him, looking snuggly in a surf sweater. It was oversized on him, so Will wondered how big it would be on himself…

“You’re looking at me funny,” Cam mumbled, drinking from his fresh bottle of kombucha.

“Sorry,” Will blushed. “I like your jumper.”

Cam looked down at it, and smiled. “Thanks, Puc. My sister got it for me last time she was home. Said it ‘ _suited my aesthetic,’_ whatever the fuck that means.”

Will laughed. “I agree. It does.”

Cam smiled, though Will could tell he was still lost, and it was kind of adorable.

“Aren’t you a bit warm in it, though?” Will asked. It was going to be thirty something degrees in Brisbane, today, and Will was just in a t-shirt and shorts.

Cam shook his head. “They over-air-condition at every hotel,” he mumbled. “It’s freezing.”

Will chuckled, shaking his head fondly. “You’re such a Perth boy. It’s fine in here.”

“How could I forget, you’re pretty much neighbours with Antarctica,” Cam teased, bumping Will’s knee under the table.

Will rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. “You’re impossible.”

Cam gave Will a warm grin.

*

The medical staff told Will, at the beginning of training, that he shouldn’t bat during the session.

He had sworn his shoulder felt fine, but it wasn’t enough. The strength and conditioning staff gave him some agility and plyometric work to do that wouldn’t impact his shoulder, but Will knew it was just busy work so he didn’t get bored.

He got bored anyway.

He’d completed his task list twice when he decided to wander outside and see how everyone was going in the nets.

It was hot outside, and there was a lot of noise and energy around. Will felt like a bit of an outsider, walking out into it, and he hadn’t even been ruled out of Friday’s Test.

JL was observing the first net, where Starcy was bowling to Dave. When Will came outside, though, JL turned his attention to him.

“How are ya, mate?” JL asked.

“Good,” he replied. “Finished my checklist twice.”

JL squeezed his good shoulder. “Good man,” he commented. “How’s your shoulder feeling?”

“Really good,” Will lied, desperate to say the right thing. “Can barely feel it.”  
  
JL gave Will a look that told him he didn’t believe the words.

“Then how come Cam has asked me fourteen times how you’re going, in there?” JL asked, a smile pulling at his lips.

Will deflated, but his heart warmed at the thought that Cam was worried about him.

“Happy coincidence?” Will offered.

JL chuckled, shaking his head. “We’ll let the medicos make the decision, mate. I’m sorry. I know how badly you want to play.”

Will swallowed, nodding. A feeling of dread settled in his stomach.

“Maybe it’ll be fine,” Will suggested. “It was only partly dislocated.”

JL gave him a sad smile. “We’ll let the medicos decide, Puc,” he repeated, patting Will’s shoulder before continuing to check up on the other nets.

Will didn’t know what to do with himself, and his chest was tight. He couldn’t even imagine not playing, after finally being presented his baggy green only six days ago. The thought was too much to process.

He started walking without really thinking, and he ended up behind the net where Cam was being thrown balls by an assistant coach. He was protected by the enclosed net, here, so he could park himself on the ground without fear of being hit by wayward shots.

Cam turned around as soon as he heard Will’s footsteps, and he crouched down, face to face with Will, through the fence.

“I’ll give you five, mate, then we’re back at it,” the assistant coach told Cam.

Cam looked back over his shoulder, thanking the coach, before sitting down in front of the fence.

“Hey,” Cam murmured.

“Hi,” Will replied.

“How’s your session?”

Will shrugged. “Okay. Bit of a waste of time. Think they were just trying to occupy me.”

Cam huffed a soft laugh, but his expression sobered before he spoke again. “Your shoulder…?”

“JL says it’s out of our hands, and the medical staff will decide. Did a couple of functional tests at the start of the session, but they didn’t say anything. They’re gonna use those and the scans to decide,” Will sighed.

Cam nodded, clearly not happy with the response. “I’m sorry, Puc.”

Will shook his head. “Not your fault.”

“Still.”

A moment passed between them.

“Are you here to keep me company for the rest of the session?” Cam asked.

“Absolutely. I’ve got the best view,” Will deadpanned.

Cam blushed, chuckling. “You’re cheeky, Puc.”

“You love it.”

Cam ducked his head, grinning. He poked his fingers through one of the holes in the fence, and Will grabbed them with a couple of his own fingers.

Despite being surrounded by energetic teammates and support staff, it felt like they were the only people on the planet, in that moment.

“What if I don’t play?” Will whispered, uttering the words he hadn’t yet dared to say aloud.

Cam rested his head against the fence. “I don’t want to think about it,” he murmured.

Will swallowed past the rising anxiety in his throat. “I want to play again. With you.”

Cam’s expression was hurt. “I want that, too,” he murmured. “But I want you to be okay more.”

Will closed his eyes, heart aching. “I feel okay when I’m with you.”

“Then stay with me,” Cam whispered.

Will would. As long as he could.

*

It was approaching the end of their long training session, and one of the team doctors called Will inside.

Will had a bad feeling straight away.

He half wished Cam could come with him, for this. But he had to face this alone.

He turned back to meet Cam’s eyes, one last time, and Cam gave him the most hopeful smile Will had ever seen, crossing his fingers.

The meeting only took a few minutes. There wasn’t much to say. He was out. They would work out a rehab plan for him in the coming days, probably involving meetings with a specialist.

He held himself together until he was dismissed from the medical office.

His eyes were burning, but he held his breath, refusing to let emotion get the better of him.

Until he realised Cam was standing right outside, in the hallway. Waiting for him.

Cam opened his arms wordlessly, and Will lost it. He buried his head in Cam’s chest, breaking.

“Shh, it’s okay,” Cam whispered, rubbing a comforting hand up and down Will’s back, holding Will’s hip with the other. His chin was tucked over Will’s head.

Will was shaking with silent sobs, all of the emotion of the last few days finally bubbling to the surface.

It was over. His debut Test series was over.

Cam held him, murmuring soft affirmations, until Will was still in his arms again.

When Will finally re-emerged from the safety of Cam’s chest, Cam wiped the last tears off his cheeks with the pad of his thumb.

“I’m-“

“Shh,” Cam murmured, shaking his head. “Don’t you dare apologise.”

Will swallowed, looking up at Cam through wet eyelashes. He nodded.

Cam leant down and pressed a tender kiss to Will’s forehead.

“Your top,” Will mumbled, pointing at the wet patch his tears had made.

Cam just shrugged. “Don’t care.”

Will dropped his head back to Cam’s chest, taking some deep breaths. Cam carded soothing fingers through Will’s hair.

“No injury can take your baggy green away from you, Puc,” Cam murmured. “That’s yours, forever. And you’re gonna wear it so much it gets all salty and worn, like Josh’s.”

Will stood up and gave a sad smile, at that.

Cam wiped his tears, again, trailing his hand down Will’s left arm and taking his hand, interlacing their fingers.

“We’re gonna get through this,” Cam whispered. “You and me.”

Will’s heart flipped.

*

Once their team commitments were finished for the afternoon, they lazed on Will’s bed before dinner.

Will was still heartbroken, but he was feeling a little bit better after a shower, a snack, and a lot of kisses.

Will’s head was on Cam’s chest, and Cam played with his hair.

“Puc, feel free not to answer this,” Cam warned. “Do they want you to go home?”

Will’s breath caught in his throat.

“I didn’t offer, and they didn’t ask,” he admitted. “I’m not ready to go home. Don’t want to leave this,” he added, barely above a whisper.

Cam wasn’t sure what he was referring to, but something in Will’s voice made his heart flip.

Cam wrapped his other arm more tightly around him, leaning down to kiss his forehead. “Good. Then stay.”

Will smiled up at him, heart warm despite the ache in his chest.

They laid there in thoughtful silence for a while, but something had changed in the air. They weren’t going to experience the magic of sharing the field, again… for this series, at least, and nobody knew what was happening beyond that.

Their time together was running out.

The thought made Cam hold Will closer. He buried his nose in blonde curls, wanting to commit every second to memory.

While he still could.

*

Will ended up dozing in Cam’s arms, exhausted after the emotion of the day.

Eventually, they had to head for their team dinner.

Cam woke Will up by lifting their interlinked hands to his lips, pressing gentle kisses along his knuckles, to his wrist, his pulse, and along his forearm.

Will woke up with a soft smile and a contented hum.

“We need to go for dinner,” Cam murmured.

Will pouted, and he looked so sleepy and beautiful that Cam’s heart flipped.

“Wanna stay here. With you,” Will murmured. He sat up, and Cam felt the lack of warmth and weight on his chest immediately. 

“I want that, too,” Cam whispered. They had to leave, but he allowed himself just a few extra moments.

He reached a hand up into Will’s hair, stroking through it, enjoying the soft smile Will gave him, and the way Will leant into his touch.

“Can I try something?” Cam asked.

Will gave him a warm smile, nodding.

Cam reached for the hair tie on Will’s wrist, and Will moved his hand so Cam had access to it. Automatically, Will turned so his hair was facing Cam.

Cam ran his fingers through it a few times before pulling all of it up, smoothing it from the top, shaping it into a ponytail. He twisted the hair tie around it twice, and on the last loop, he pulled half through to make it into a bun.

“Very pretty,” Cam said, when he was satisfied with his work.

Will turned to look at him, grinning. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

They shared a soft smile, and Will couldn’t help but lean in, grab his cheek and kiss him. They got lost in the moment, but eventually, Will pulled back.

“We have to go,” he lamented.

Cam screwed up his nose, but nodded. He gestured to Will’s t-shirt - the tears had dried, but Will was probably still uncomfortable. “Do you want to change out of that?”

Will considered the words, and nodded. They both got out of the bed, and Will pulled his t-shirt off. Cam tried not to stare, but Will caught him anyway, and blushed at the admiring glance.

Cam picked up one of his own surf t-shirts that had migrated into Will’s room, since yesterday, and held it out to him in nervous offering.

“Can I wear this?” Will asked, looking up to meet Cam’s eyes.

“Do you want to?”

“Of course I do,” Will ducked his head, trying to hide his massive grin.

Cam helped him take his first t-shirt off - ‘to take some pressure off his shoulder’ - and when Will shrugged on Cam’s t-shirt, it fell so low it almost covered the bottom of his shorts.

“Oh my god,” Cam grinned. “You look perfect.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Cam nodded, leaning down to give Will one last kiss, tucking a stray curl, that had escaped the bun, behind Will’s ear.

Cam held the door open for Will as they left the room, heading towards the team dining hall.

They had been sitting apart at dinners, but the realisation that their time was running out made Cam anxious.

“I wanna sit with you,” Cam leant down and murmured in Will’s ear.

Will smiled up at him. “I’d like that,” he agreed.

When they got there, Will’s appearance raised a few eyebrows.

“Are we this obvious after we’ve had sex?” Steve whispered into Tim’s ear.

Tim chuckled, shaking his head. “Not even close.”

Tim offered Will a seat, which Will thanked him for, but turned down, to sit with Cam.

The younger boys missed the knowing look Tim and Pat exchanged across the room.

They ended up sitting at the table for two beside Tim and Steve, anyway, and Tim couldn’t help himself.

“Care to explain the new look, Puc?” Tim asked.

Steve kicked at his shin under the table, giving him a chastising look.

Cam blushed, but Will shrugged.

“Just trying something different,” Will replied easily.

“But you never tie your hair up,” Tim pointed out.

Will shrugged. “I did the other day.”

At that, though, Steve looked thoughtful. “How did you tie your hair up with a dislocated shoulder?”

Cam’s eyes widened as they met Will’s, across the table.

Tim noticed. Of course he noticed. He turned his attention to Cam.“Didn’t know you could tie hair, mate?”

Cam flushed, embarrassed. “It’s nothing,” he mumbled.

Steve gave Tim another chastising look, and Tim left them alone.

If Tim _did_ raise his eyebrows when Will started playing with Cam’s hand, over the table... or when the younger pair swapped their plates... Steve couldn’t argue with that.

*

Cam and Will went out for a short walk, after that, staying close to the hotel but appreciating the fresh air.

Their shoulders brushed as they walked. They were talking about nothing, just enjoying being together, and Will couldn’t take it any more.

He trailed his fingers along the inside of Cam’s wrist, softly sliding his hand into Cam’s own.

Will knew Cam was trying to hide his expression, but a tiny smile broke through, and Will melted.

Cam shifted his hand to interlace their fingers, his hand dwarfing Will’s, and rubbed his thumb across the back of Will’s hand. The action was so casually intimate, and Will could barely breathe.

They were _holding hands._ Properly _._ In public, while Will swam in Cam’s t-shirt, with his hair up in a bun that _Cam had put there._

And Will had never felt more alive.

*

They had just gotten back to the hotel when Will’s phone vibrated with a text - Tim asked Will to his room to chat.

“Go,” Cam said gently.

Will was torn. “But-“

“I’ll come back to yours later, if that’s what you’d want,” Cam murmured.

Will’s heart flipped. “Yeah?”

Cam nodded. By now, they were waiting for the lift, and they were alone, so Cam leant down to kiss him softly.

“I’ll miss ya,” Will said. He tried to keep a joking tone, but it fell flat.

“I’ll miss you, too,” Cam said gently, kissing him once more. “Don’t get caught up doing imaginary throw downs to Steve.”

Will chuckled, heart warm.

It was a short walk to Tim’s room, but Will found himself looking over his shoulder, at Cam, several times along the way.

Tim answered the door straight away, inviting Will to sit on the couch.Tim had to move one of Steve’s jumpers that had been dropped there, and he folded it without thinking.

They both sat on the couch, and Tim sighed. “Mate, I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about your shoulder,” he said gently.

Will gave him a sad smile. “Thanks, Timmy. It sucks, not gonna lie,” he admitted. “I was really upset before, but we- I’m through the worst of it, now,” he corrected quickly.

Tim didn’t let him get away with it, grinning cheekily. “Did you just say _we?”_

“No, you’re hearing things,” Will lied, screwing up his nose when he realised he’d been caught.

Tim poked his side. “You did!”

Will shook his head, covering his face with his hands.

“Puc, mate, did you think I wouldn’t realise when you stopped hanging out with me on tour?” Tim teased, poking him again. “This isn’t my first rodeo.”

Will groaned into his palms. “I didn’t stop hanging out with you,” he protested. “I love hanging out with you.”

“You just love hanging out with Cam more,” Tim completed.

Will met his eyes, stunned. “Who said anything about Cam?”

Tim just rolled his eyes. “I’m not blind, William. You literally came to dinner in his clothes, tonight. If you two are sleeping together, that’s okay-“

“We aren’t!” Will exclaimed.

“He wasn’t in his room, last night,” Tim pointed out.

Will grimaced. “No comment.”

Tim chuckled, pulling Will in for a hug. “Mate, it’s okay if you like him. It’s not exactly a foreign concept, to any of us,” he reminded.

“I don’t,” Will protested weakly. “We’re mates. _Teammates._ ”

“You and I are teammates,” Tim replied.

Will huffed, sitting up again. “That’s different.”

“Yeah, because you and I don’t kiss.”

Will leant his head back against the couch, groaning.

“You didn’t deny it,” Tim grinned.

“Deny what?”

“That you and Cam kiss,” Tim poked Will again.

Will turned his head to give Tim an unimpressed look, and that was all the confirmation Tim needed.

“I knew it,” Tim grinned.

At that point, Steve came inside - he had been out on the balcony, on the phone to family.

“Hey, Will,” Steve greeted warmly.

“Hey,” Will replied.

“Don’t think you’re off the hook, mate. Whatever you two are doing… it’s okay,” Tim assured.

Will groaned, embarrassed, but the words meant a lot to him. After that, Tim and Will played a bit of PlayStation, and Tim didn’t grill him any more.

*

Will knocked on Cam’s door on his way back from Tim’s room.

Cam opened it with a smile. Will was about to get up on his tiptoes to kiss him, but he realised Cam had company - Pat was standing just inside the door.

“I was just leaving,” Pat assured, pecking Cam’s cheek on the way through. “Goodnight, boys.”

They both said the same to Pat, and Cam invited Will inside while he found a few things.

Cam ended up taking a few articles of clothing from his cupboards before they headed back to Will’s, and neither of them spoke about it, though Will’s heart flipped at the domestic implication.

Back in Will’s room, Will offered for Cam to put them in an empty drawer in the dresser.They didn’t talk about it, but the warm smile on Cam’s face was everything.

When they were finally cuddling on the bed, Will melted into Cam’s chest. “Missed you.”

Cam pecked Will’s forehead. “Missed you, too,” he replied. “How was Tim?”

“Good. He was worried about me, after today,” Will replied. He didn’t mention the main topic of discussion - that was a chat for another day.

Cam nodded.

They chatted softly, for a while, and Will interlaced their fingers, loving the size of Cam’s big hands against his smaller ones.

“I like it when you do that,” Cam whispered.

Will’s heart flipped, and he beamed. “Yeah?”

Cam hummed with agreement, shifting their hands so that Will’s was more secure in his own.

They basked in the moment, for a little while, but eventually, Cam spoke again.

“I hate seeing you upset, Puc,” he admitted. “It breaks me.”

Will melted. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Cam shook his head. “Don’t be. None of this is your fault. We’re gonna get through it,” he assured, meeting Will’s eyes.

Cam’s eyes were the colour of clear oceans, and Will wanted to get lost in them.

“Okay,” Will nodded, believing him.

Many, many kisses later, Will looked at the clock. Since it was past midnight, it was already Thursday. He didn’t want to think about how their time together was running out.

*

Thursday passed in a blur of preparations, and before they knew it, it was the first day of the match.

Will stood next to Cam for the national anthem, his hand curled in the back of Cam’s playing top. In the quiet moment between the final line and the roar of the crowd, Cam smiled down at him, and Will felt alive.

The match was interrupted by rain on several days, and during one particularly long break, on day two, Will and Cam snuck away for some time away from the group.

Cam took Will’s hand and led him down a hallway, ending up in an empty treatment room that was reserved for the Brisbane Lions.

“Are we meant to be here-“

Will was interrupted by Cam lifting him onto a massage table, coaxing Will’s legs around his waist, kissing him hard.

Will gasped against Cam’s mouth, melting into the sensation. They had made out before, but never like this. Never with so much… urgency.

Cam pressed himself closer to Will’s body, cupping Will’s stubbled cheek with his hand as they kissed deeply.

Will reached up and tangled a hand in the back of Cam’s hair, appreciating the way it made him smile.

“You’re gorgeous,” Will murmured against Cam’s lips.

Cam took a breather, pressing their foreheads together, running a hand through Will’s soft curls. “Nothing compared to you,” he murmured. “You’re like sunshine.”

Will melted, leaning in to kiss him again. The kiss deepened immediately, and Will couldn’t take it any more. He bunched a hand in the front of Cam’s playing shirt, tugging the all-rounder towards himself, laying back and turning so that he was lengthways on the massage bed.

Cam took the hint - he got onto the bed, knees either side of Will’s hips, covered Will’s body with his own, and kissed him.

Soon, Will was panting under him, and he shifted so that his leg wrapped around Cam’s calves.

Their kiss was hot and needy, and when Will reached under Cam’s top, scratching at his back, Cam almost lost what little remained of his composure.

“I want you,” Will whispered into Cam’s ear.

Cam groaned, dropping his head into Will’s neck. “I want you, too,” he murmured. He took a deep breath before he said what he didn’t want to say. “But we shouldn’t. Not here.”

Will groaned, rolling his hips against Cam’s. “Then later,” Will said. “Please.”

*

Will was half grateful when play got called off, in the afternoon. The rain wasn’t clearing, and neither was the distraction in his mind. He couldn’t get Cam alone soon enough. 

On the bus ride back to the hotel, all of the older boys were a bit lethargic. There wasn’t anything quite as draining as constant pitch inspections and delays that stretched out all day.

Will, though, could barely sit still, and he knew Cam felt the same. They sat together on the bus, and held hands under the jumper that Will had taken off a while ago.

Cam traced shapes into Will’s palm with his fingers, and the sensation sent sparks through him. He had it bad.

Will leant his head on Cam’s shoulder, and Cam chanced a kiss to his forehead, while everyone else was caught up chatting, or on their phones.

When Will met Cam’s eyes, they were dark. They were both clearly still thinking about what had nearly happened in the treatment room.

“We’re nearly there,” Cam assured, pecking Will’s temple.

*

After what felt like the longest bus ride in history, they were finally alone in Will’s room.

And Will cracked first.

He pulled Cam down to the bed, right on top of him.

“Kiss me, please,” Will breathed, bunching his hand in Cam’s top.

Cam did. Thoroughly. It was as heated as their kisses a few hours earlier, and they were both quickly running out of patience.

Cam slotted their hips together, and Will gasped into Cam’s mouth.

Cam grinned at his reaction. “You like that?”

“Fuck,” Will breathed, rolling his hips up against Cam’s. “Please.”

“Are you sure?” Cam asked, pulling back enough to look into Will’s eyes. They were practically black, ringed with just the slightest hint of green.

“Yeah, if you are,” Will replied, burying his face in Cam’s neck.

*

They didn’t go the whole way, but when Will woke up a little while later in a pair of Cam’s underwear, his heart flip-flopped in a way it never had before.

Now that they had burnt up their sexual tension, Will was so content in Cam’s arms.

Cam woke up soon after that, and when he felt Will, curled up against his side, he smiled. “How do you feel?”

“Really good,” Will replied honestly. “You?”

“Same,” Cam grinned, pressing a kiss to Will’s forehead. 

The air had changed between them, for the better, and Will wanted to stay in the moment forever.

*

The rest of the Test was a bit of a blur. Will ran drinks when Cam was batting, always bringing him a few lollies as well as the things he needed. When he got out into the middle, and Cam was sweating, breathing hard, it took all of Will’s self control not to kiss him, right there, and taste the salt on his tongue.

Things didn’t go the Aussies’ way, and the mood in their dressing room was incredibly flat. JL and Tim suggested everyone get their match thoughts off their chest during a short debrief, but when the esky came out after that, everyone switched off and tried to relax a little.

Pat headed off pretty soon after, for his flight to Melbourne. Before he left, he gave Cam a big hug, kissing his temple.

“Are you coming to join us for Big Bash?” Pat asked gently.

Cam sighed, not having wanted to think about anything past this series… past his time with Will.

“I really want to, but they’ve been suggesting for the last few weeks that load management will probably say no,” Cam admitted.

Pat deflated, but he nodded. “That’s okay,” he replied. “Keep in touch?”

Cam nodded, and Pat hugged him once more before heading to say goodbye to some others.

Will pressed a fresh beer into Cam’s hand, settling in beside him, in Cam’s locker space.

“You smell nice,” Cam told Will.

“Gotta be honest with ya, I used the cologne in your locker, before,” Will admitted, grinning sheepishly.

Cam ducked his head into the crook of Will’s neck and took a deep sniff, pressing several light kisses to the skin as he did.

“You’re cheeky, Puc.”

“You love it.”

“I really do,” Cam admitted, draining a third of his beer when he realised what he’d said.

Will looked pleased, though, and Cam’s heart warmed.

They sipped their beers for a little while, but when they were sure everyone was doing their own thing, Cam grabbed Will’s hips, coaxing him to sit on his lap.

“Everyone’s in here,” Will murmured.

Cam shrugged. “Nobody’s looking. And if they were, nobody’d care.” He didn’t bring up the thing that was bothering him the most, though - that their time together was quickly running out.

Will settled in his lap, and Cam wrapped an arm around his slim waist, dipping his fingers under Will’s waistband, tracing shapes into his skin.

They drank their beers and chatted, lost in their own little world. They didn’t notice Tim and Steve curled up together in the corner, looking exhausted, or Josh’s arm around Mitch, comforting him after a tough few weeks.

Eventually, someone suggested they take the beers back to their hotel, and the boys took a few cold bottles back to Will’s room. Nobody blamed them for wanting some time to themselves, after the day’s events.

They drank in bed, and it felt kind of naughty, and exciting.

Until Cam’s mind decided to remind him that the clock was ticking.

Cam broke at about eleven. “We should talk about it,” he rushed out, before he could rethink it.

Will blinked, taking a measured sip from his beer. “Talk about what?”

Cam sighed, not wanting to say the words aloud. He thumbed at a drop of condensation that was dripping down his bottle, procrastinating.

“Hey,” Will said gently. “It’s just me. You can say anything you need to.”

Cam swallowed, nodding. “Will… they’re not gonna let me play Big Bash,” he mumbled.

Will frowned, having half expected that, himself. “Is that really a bad thing? You’ve played so much this summer, even for WA-“

“No, that’s not all of it,” Cam mumbled. “They want me to rest at home. I have to do fourteen days’ quarantine. Alone.”

Will’s stomach dropped. “Cammy,” he breathed. “Is it- is it because we went to Sydney? Come home with me, stay with me until it’s been however long it needs to be since we were there,” Will suggested, hurriedly.

Cam’s heart shattered, and he put his beer down on the bedside table, shifting down the bed so he could wrap his arms around Will’s middle, his head on Will’s chest.

“I want that so badly,” Cam admitted. “But the flight’s already booked. They only make exceptions for- like- you know... like, Pat and Mitch…” Cam tripped over his words.

“Couples,” Will supplied, voice small. “Yeah. I know what you mean.”

Cam closed his eyes, focusing on Will’s heartbeat under his temple. The word sounded so… mature, but not as elusive as it had probably seemed, before Cam and Will were reunited during the Australia A series.

So much had changed between them in such a short amount of time, and Cam couldn’t bear the thought of heading home to an empty house… or an empty bed.

“We can FaceTime for as long as you want, pass some of the time,” Will suggested softly. “I’ll introduce you to my dogs. You’ll love them.”

Despite the ache in his chest, Cam smiled, at that. “I’d like that,” he replied.

Will stroked a hand through Cam’s hair, playing with the long locks on top. “I don’t want to say goodbye. I’m not ready to let go of this,” Will whispered.

Cam met Will’s eyes at the words, shocked at the admission. “Then maybe we shouldn’t let go,” Cam murmured.

Will blinked down at him, searching Cam’s face for any sign of a joke or hesitation.

“I’ll wait for you, Puc,” Cam said. “Whether that’s until the South Africa series, or Shield, or whatever comes next for us. I’ll wait for you.”

Will squeezed his eyes shut, holding back the emotion of the day. “I’ll wait for you, too,” he murmured.

Cam buried his head in Will’s chest, breathing him in. A glimmer of hope ran through him - this wasn’t it, for them. There was more to their story. This chapter may not have ended in the way they had wanted it to, but that just meant the next one had the potential to be so much better.

Later, they fell asleep, holding each other more tightly than they had before.

In the morning, before the airport bus took Cam and JL to the airport for their flight to Perth, Cam and Will shared a kiss goodbye, full of both sadness to be separating, but also excitement at whatever the future held for them.

When they separated, Cam ran his hand back through Will’s hair, one last time.

There were words that would fit the occasion that he absolutely could not say.

His eyes said it, instead.

“See you soon,” Cam promised.

Will’s eyes said the exact same thing, back to Cam. “See you soon.”


End file.
